STACKUP
Show Time: new move, new acts
Filipinos: Probably the world's best mimicry
artists. They are everywhere from Yokohama to Yemen and some points further west. And they
can copy anything from Shania Twain and Elvis Presley to Moody Blues and Boyz II Men. Tone
perfect, pitch perfect, a few from this enormous travelling pack of singers have now found
India, or India has found them. Mumbai and Delhi hotels currently host a trickle which
will inevitably become a flood as word gets around. For singing copies there's no better
except Sri Lankans, but they are occupied elsewhere, at home and in Maldivian resorts.  Brazilians: What's taking them so long? So far, except for
a celebrated case of a one-night stand at the Leela in Mumbai last month, Brazilian
dancing and singing Samba troupes -- who talk the language of gut reaction better than any
other entertainers -- haven't made their way here. There is a good chance that with a
dipping market in South East Asia they will head for entertainment-starved urban India.
When they do, beginning next season -- quite a few impresarios are already scouting
options -- it will be the end of entertainment as we know it. And nobody will regret it.
West Indians: Dey be da wave of de new
sound comin'. Numbers packed with style and foot-stomping energy. The past year has seen a
few bands make a mark, 2nd En 3 at Djinns in Delhi. They kicked off the club and a trend
that is turning hot: Carib bands that mix reggae, pop, soca, trendy hip-hop and anything
else that shakes. Mainly in Delhi and Mumbai, they are hot picks for the resorts of Goa as
well.
Russians: The next time you see a brochure
or invitation that mentions a "European" dance troupe, you can bet your last
chilled bottle of Moskovskaya that it is from the Land of Lenin. Russians are fast
replacing American and British revues -- what this lot can do the Russians do better.
Whether it is tap dancing, jazz ballet, cancan or just prancing about like everybody was
trained at the Bolshoi. Russians will proliferate  here much like they have in West Asia and East Asia. The biggest
plus: they come cheaper than the Yanks and the Brits. Two years ago, they could be seen at
big ITDC hotels. Today, they have done the rounds at every major private chain and every
metro.
Belly Dancers: A nation unto themselves.
Bombaywallahs used to travel to Turkey, Egypt and Dubai to get a glimpse of this sensuous
dance that is listed in brochures across West Asia as a "performance art". These
days, belly dancers have started to strut their stuff in India, most famously at risqu
parties in Mumbai, but also occasionally at top hotels there and in Delhi. Those who
perform here aren't even half a belly button of their soul sisters. And going by the buzz,
it seems the fad or the entertainment won't go too far here. It's somehow more fun where
it's at. |
